The Ketogenic Diet 101: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide

I’m about to embark on my 3rd time starting a ketogenic diet. I see great results every time I get back to doing keto and I thought I would share this awesome article by my friends over at Authority Nutrition. This article was originally published by Authority Nutrition and is being republished on my website with permission. I couldn’t write a better article so I’m happy they allowed me to republish it for you all. I hope that you consider this way of eating, which is very much Paleo (with the optional addition of dairy), if you need to kickstart your weight loss, like I do (again)! If you would like to use a free Ketogenic meal plan, then check out these free meal plans by I Breathe I’m Hungry or snag the Ketogenic Cookbook.

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat dietthat offers many health benefits.

Over 20 studies show that this type of diet can help you lose weight and improve health .

Ketogenic diets may even have benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease .

This article is a detailed beginner’s guide to the ketogenic diet.

It contains everything you need to know.

What is a Ketogenic Diet?

The ketogenic diet (often termed keto) is a very low-carb, high-fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and low-carb diets.

It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake, and replacing it with fat. The reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.

When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain (6, 7).

Bottom Line: The ketogenic diet (keto) is a low-carb, high-fat diet. It lowers blood sugar and insulin levels, and shifts the body’s metabolism away from carbs and towards fat and ketones.

Different Types of Ketogenic Diets

There are several versions of the ketogenic diet, including:

Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low-carb, moderate-protein and high-fat diet. It typically contains 75% fat, 20% protein and only 5% carbs (1).

Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher-carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high-carb days.

Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts.

High-protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein and 5% carbs.

However, only the standard and high-protein ketogenic diets have been studied extensively. Cyclical or targeted ketogenic diets are more advanced methods, and primarily used by bodybuilders or athletes.

The information in this article mostly applies to the standard ketogenic diet (SKD), although many of the same principles also apply to the other versions.

Bottom Line: There are several versions of the ketogenic diet. The standard ketogenic diet (SKD) is the most researched and most recommended.

Ketogenic Diets Can Help You Lose Weight

A ketogenic diet is an effective way to lose weight and lower risk factors for disease .

In fact, research shows that the ketogenic diet is far superior to the recommended low-fat diet .

What’s more, the diet is so filling that you can lose weightwithout counting calories or tracking your food .

One study found that people on a ketogenic diet lost 2.2 times more weight than those on a calorie-restricted low-fat diet. Triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels also improved.

Another study found that participants on the ketogenic diet lost 3 times more weight than those on the Diabetes UK’s recommended diet.

There are several reasons why a ketogenic diet is superior to a low-fat diet. One is the increased protein intake, which provides numerous benefits.

The increased ketones, lowered blood sugar levels and improved insulin sensitivity may also play a key role.

For more details on the weight loss effects of a ketogenic diet, read this article: A Ketogenic Diet to Lose Weight and Fight Disease.

Bottom Line: A ketogenic diet can help you lose much more weight than a low-fat diet. This often happens without hunger.

Ketogenic Diets for Diabetes and Prediabetes

Diabetes is characterized by changes in metabolism, high blood sugar and impaired insulin function .

The ketogenic diet can help you lose excess fat, which is closely linked to type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and metabolic syndrome (28, 29, 30).

One study found that the ketogenic diet improved insulin sensitivity by a whopping 75% .

Another study in patients with type 2 diabetes found that 7 of the 21 participants were able to stop all diabetes medications.

In yet another study, the ketogenic group lost 24.4 lbs (11.1 kg), compared to 15.2 lbs (6.9 kg) in the higher-carb group. This is an important benefit when considering the link between weight and type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, 95.2% of the ketogenic group was also able to stop or reduce diabetes medication, compared to 62% in the higher-carb group .

This article has more details about low-carb diets and diabetes.

Bottom Line: The ketogenic diet can boost insulin sensitivity and cause fat loss, leading to drastic improvement for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.

Other Health Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet actually originated as a tool for treating neurological diseases, such as epilepsy.

Studies have now shown that the diet can have benefits for a wide variety of different health conditions:

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